A method of synthesizing a doped carbonaceous material includes mixing a carbon precursor material with at least one dopant to form a homogeneous/heterogeneous mixture; and subjecting the mixture to pyrolysis in an inert atmosphere to obtain the doped carbonaceous material. A method of purifying water includes providing an amount of the doped carbonaceous material in the water as a photocatalyst; and illuminating the water containing the doped carbonaceous material with visible light such that under visible light illumination, the doped carbonaceous material generates excitons (electron-hole pairs) and has high electron affinity, which react with oxygen and water adsorbed on its surface forming reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals, singlet oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, that, in turn, decompose pollutants and micropollutants.

Provided herein are metal-organic frameworks having a repeating core structure that generally includes a linker coordinated to a secondary building unit through O-metal-O bonds. The linkers create a framework with a plurality of pores, where a cobalt carbonyl moiety occupies at least a portion of the plurality of pores. Provided are also methods of making such metal-organic frameworks via a solvothermal reaction. The metal-organic frameworks are suitable for use in carbonylation reactions, such as carbonylation of epoxides. The metal-organic frameworks may be used for producing acrylic acid from ethylene oxide and carbon monoxide on an industrial scale. The production may involve various unit operations, including for example a beta-propiolactone production system configured to produce beta-propiolactone from ethylene oxide and carbon monoxide; a polypropiolactone production system configured to produce polypropiolactone from beta-propiolactone; and an acrylic acid production system configured to produce acrylic acid with a high purity by thermolysis of polypropiolactone.

A transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst has an excellent catalytic activity and selectivity in the carbonylation reaction and is easily separated from a product, by crosslinking polymerizing a transition metal-based homogeneous catalyst unit through a Friedel-Craft reaction. The catalyst may be used in a method for preparing lactone. The transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst allows to produce lactone or succinic anhydride with an epoxide compound while showing a high selectivity, and can be applied in industrial very usefully due to easy separation from the product and thus reusing thereof.

The present invention relates to a transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst that has an excellent catalytic activity and selectivity in the carbonylation reaction and is easily separated from a product, by crosslinking polymerizing a transition metal-based homogeneous catalyst unit through a Friedel-Craft reaction; and a method for preparing lactone using the same. The transition metal-based heterogeneous carbonylation reaction catalyst allows to produce lactone or succinic anhydride with an epoxide compound while showing a high selectivity, and can be applied in industrial very usefully due to easy separation from the product and thus reusing thereof.

Provided is a carbon dioxide reduction composite catalyst, comprising an organic-inorganic porous body, and a molecular reduction catalyst combined with the organic-inorganic porous body, wherein the organic-inorganic porous body includes metal oxide clusters, and a light-condensing organic material as linkers between the metal oxide clusters, and the linkers absorb visible light to form excitons, and move the excitons through energy transfer between the linkers to transfer the electrons of the excitons to the molecular reduction catalyst.

The present invention provides, inter alia, a multidentate ligand having the structure of: ##STR00001## Also provided are methods of preparing metal complexes from the multidentate ligand, and the metal complexes prepared by such methods. Further provided are catalysts comprising such metal complexes, and various uses of such catalysts.

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO.sub.2RR) provides opportunities to synthesize value-added products from this greenhouse gas in a sustainable manner. Efficient catalysts for this reaction are provided that selectively drive CO.sub.2 reduction over the thermodynamic and kinetically competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in organic or aqueous electrolytes. The catalysts are metal-polypyridyl coordination complexes of a redox non-innocent terpyridine-based pentapyridine ligand and a first-row transition metal. The metal-ligand cooperativity in [Fe(tpyPY2Me)].sup.2+ drives the electrochemical reduction of CO.sub.2 to CO at low overpotentials with high selectivity for CO.sub.2RR (>90%).

A process to produce a branched ethylene-α-olefin diene elastomer comprising combining a catalyst precursor and an activator with a feed comprising ethylene, C3 to C12 α-olefins, and a dual-polymerizable diene to obtain a branched ethylene-α-olefin diene elastomer; where the catalyst precursor is selected from pyridyldiamide and quinolinyldiamido transition metal complexes. The branched ethylene-α-olefin diene elastomer may comprise within a range from 40 to 80 wt % of ethylene-derived units by weight of the branched ethylene-α-olefin diene elastomer, and 0.1 to 2 wt % of singly-polymerizable diene derived units, 0.1 to 2 wt % of singly-polymerizable diene derived units, and the remainder comprising C3 to C12 α-olefin derived units, wherein the branched ethylene-α-olefin diene elastomer has a weight average molecular weight (M.sub.w) within a range from 100 kg/mole to 300 kg/mole, an average branching index (g′.sub.avg) of 0.9 or more, and a branching index at very high M.sub.w (g′.sub.1000) of less than 0.9.

Catalytic methods for synthesis of super linear alkenyl arenes and alkyl arenes are provided. The methods are capable of synthesizing super linear alkyl and alkenyl arenes from simple arene and olefin starting materials and with high selectivity for linear coupling. Methods are also provided for making a 2,6-dimethylnapthalene (DMN) or 2,6-methylethylnapthalene (MEN).

A confined porphyrin Co(II), which is prepared by the following method: Equimolar amounts of aromatic aldehyde and pyrrole are condensed under acidic conditions to synthesize phenyl porphyrin compounds; the phenyl porphyrin compounds are metallized in a chloroform-methanol solution to obtain porphyrin Cu(II), which is brominated and demetallized to obtain confined porphyrin; the confined porphyrin is stirred and refluxed in a methanol solution for 12.0-24.0 h to obtain confined porphyrin Co(II). Its application is as follows: The confined porphyrin Co(II) is dissolved in cycloalkanes; the reaction system is sealed, and heated to 100 to 130° C. with stirring, to which oxygen is introduced to 0.2 to 3.0 MPa; the reaction is carried out for 3.0 to 24.0 h with stirring with the set temperature and oxygen pressure being maintained; and then the reaction solution is subjected to post-treatment to obtain the products.